Dearest Helpless
by codegal
Summary: Since the death of her brother, Orihime had always been plagued with an accursed gift that allowed her to have visions of brutal murders. Ichigo, lead homicide detective of a series of murders that have more questions than answers //full summary inside//
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Dearest Helpless

**Author:** codegal

**Rating:** T

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo.

**Summary:** [IchiHime AU] Since the death of her brother, Orihime had always been plagued with an accursed gift that allowed her to have visions of brutal murders. Ichigo, lead homicide detective of a series of murders that have more questions than answers, is forced to rely on Orihime for help. But are her visions real? Or could she be somehow directly involved in it all?

**Author's Notes:** Yes, another fic in the bid to raise my word count for the Ultimate Hali Challenge. XD This was something I had in my head after reading a few Linda Howard stories, most specifically, "Now you see her" and "Dream Man". I just really love the whole supernatural thing, so I definitely had to try it out for myself.

…

She couldn't see.

Orihime froze as the feeling of dread overwhelmed her, as the paralysis of not being able to see started to wear her body down. Knowing what was to come, she urgently struggled to gain her feet, glad that she had been seated on the living room couch and not lying down.

Relying completely on touch, she hurried to make it to the bathroom, her legs feeling numb as she slowly lost consciousness. She knew she had but a few more moments before she was completely taken over, and she increased her struggles, her feet shuffling now, her movements sluggish. She needed to get as far as she could before she was rendered useless.

She reached the bathroom door, sliding her hand down the wood to grasp the knob. She tried to turn it, her hands shaking.

It was too late.

…

Ichigo Kurosaki crouched down over what was left of the victim's body.

In the eight years that he had served as a homicide detective, he had rarely come across a scene that could cause him to visibly blanch, and he'd seen a lot during those years. It was unheard of to see such brutality in Karakura Town, especially when it was a moderately sized town.

Ichigo cursed silently at the mutilated body before him, the stench of decay and bodily excrement reaching his nostrils. There was blood, so much blood, splattered everywhere, on the walls, on the furniture, seeping into the carpet. There was no doubt about it. Jolene Mags had not died an easy death.

Ichigo looked up as the sound of boots thudded in the doorway, taking in his partner's visible blanch. "Shit," he muttered, taking the whole scene in. He shook his head, a rueful look crossing his face. "This is bad."

Ichigo inclined his head. "Yeah, tell me about it. You canvass the neighbourhood?"

Shinji nodded his head, moving to Ichigo's side, careful not to disturb anything from the crime scene. "Yeah, nobody heard or saw a thing. Forensics should be here shortly. Did you talk to the officer who called it in?"

Ichigo shook his head, taking one more look at the body, etching her features into his mind. He would add her name and details to his list, to those that he would find justice for. Finally, he rose to his feet, stretching. "Yeah, dispatch received a distress call from the husband, babbling over and over how his wife was dead. Officer Peabody had been patrolling a nearby area and was first on scene, making sure to close off the murder scene area and keep nosy reporters and neighbours away until more cops turned up."

His partner pursed his lips, picking up on the most important part of Ichigo's recount. "Husband, did you say?"

Ichigo looked grimm. "Yeah, looks like we got ourselves our number one suspect. Its almost always the husband or the boyfriend with the murders of females."

"Let's go ask him a few questions then."

…

It was the bone-chilling cold that woke her up.

Images of the vision flooded her mind as the cold grew within her, and she fought against the flood, pushing away the images of brutality, of rape, of blood splattered everywhere to the back of her mind. She'd deal with that later, when she met up with her police liaison, but for now, she had to deal with the after effects of having a vision.

She gritted her teeth as a vicious cramp started in her right thigh, causing her to cry out in pain. She hated this aspect of her so-called gift, hated the toll that it took on her body. She had never wanted this to begin with, never wanted the responsibility that came with the witnessing of humanity in its ugliest form, never wanted the nightmares, the strain that she had to hold up under.

It was pointless complaining about it now.

She found herself lying on the bathroom floor, unable to feel the coolness of the tiles thanks to the inner freezing cold that enshrouded her. Orihime cried out again as her fingers dug into her flesh, trying to ease the cramped muscle. Not long after she had worked it out did the other thigh cramp up, and hot tears burned down her face as she fought to stay in control. She was quickly losing energy from the cold and from the drainage of the vision; she didn't have time to waste.

Gasping, she struggled onto her hands and knees, yelling when both thighs cramped at the movement. Biting down on her lip, she pushed through the pain of it, struggling towards the bathtub, her breathing laboured as she slowly made her way next to it. She was quickly losing feeling in her limbs, and she looked down to notice that her fingernails had actually turned blue. The sight of it scared her; she'd never had such a strong reaction before, she'd been cold in previous visions, but nothing like this bone-numbing chill that had her muscles tightening and locking painfully.

It took her several tries, but eventually, she was able to pull herself up onto the side of the tub, leaning over as she slid awkwardly in, her body crashing painfully against the walls of the tub. She forced herself to sit up and fought against the knobs of the tap water, shaking as she finally managed to turn it and water streamed out onto her blue toes. She was smart enough to let the cold water run as well, realising the dangers of being in a tub of boiling hot water.

When the tub was full, she struggled to turn it off before lying back down, fully clothed, sinking deep into the water, letting her body soak in the warmth of the water as it sloshed over the side of the tub, spilling onto the tiled floor, travelling towards the overflow drain. Little by little, she could feel sensation in her limbs, and her body wracked with shudders and tremors as her body slowly regained its warmth. A delicious lassitude overtook her then, and it was all she could do not to close her eyes and fall asleep right there and then. Shaking her head fiercely, she pushed the temptation away. It was dangerous for her to sleep here, she needed to head somewhere she could stay warm.

Gathering the last of her strength, she climbed out of the tub, stripping off the heavy layers of wet clothing, grabbing several towels to dry her body and wrap around her wet hair as she walked on shaky legs towards her bedroom. Once there, she simply pulled back the covers, slipped into her bed naked, and closed her eyes, falling deeply into a dreamless sleep.

…

"Yes, thank you for your time." Shinji hung the phone up, sighing tiredly, running his fingers through his dishevelled hair.

Ichigo looked over from the drawing board. "What happened?"

"Husband's alibi checks out. He was working, as he described, the security shift over at CommTech. Several security guards have vouched for his whereabouts and are sending over security surveillance tapes."

"Damn," Ichigo muttered, rubbing a hand against his face. "But that doesn't mean that he couldn't have done it."

Shinji shook his head. "The coroner's report came back, placing the victim's death at roughly 10pm. Mr. Mags shift started at 8pm and he was at the security desk for at least four hours before he was able to take a break. So even if he had gone home, murdered his wife, then returned to work, there's no way he could have done it within the time constraints that the coroner's given us."

"Shit, so what does that leave us with?"

"Well, did forensics come back to us?"

Ichigo nodded, grimacing. "Yeah. No fibres, no fingerprints, no nothing. And now that our main suspect has an alibi that checks out, we're back at square one. Brutal rape and murder of a woman that by all accounts, had no enemies, never had any problems at work, and who regularly volunteered at cancer fundraisers, your regular upstanding citizen. So far, there's no motive for anyone wanting her dead."

Shinji leaned back in his chair, hooking his arms behind his head. "There's always something. We're just gonna have to go back and do some serious leg work, check her accounts, re-canvass the neighbourhood, speak to friends and family, co-workers, whoever can lead us to something that can explain her murder."

"I guess I'll go get us some coffee."

Shinji nodded. "Yeah, I'll get started on pulling up her bank statements and phone records. We might catch a break or something."

Ichigo looked back up at the drawing board, empty save for the picture of Jolene Mags. "At this point, we can do with a break."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** see previous chapter

**Author's Notes:** Thanks for the lovely reviews! OK, so here's an extra long chapter since I somehow was feeling in the mood to be generous. XD I dunno, once I started writing, I just couldn't stop. LOL.

Current Word Count: 4,361.

…

Orihime awoke suddenly, pulled from her deep sleep by some unknown force.

She felt weak, her muscles aching as if she had just now recovered from a bout of the flu. It was hard to think, hard to get herself oriented. She glanced out the window, fully expecting to see the bright morning sunlight, and was surprised to see the fiery reds and oranges that filled the sky as the sun began to set. That jolted her, and she sat up suddenly, watching the outside sky in stunned silence, trying to recall what had happened the evening before.

The last thing that she had remembered, was sitting on the living room couch, watching a movie that was playing just after 9 o'clock. Orihime froze as the images swirled in her mind, as they came to the forefront. She remembered now; she had had a vision, one that had affected her to a far greater extent than her normal visions. She usually got a bit cold and sleepy after the ordeal, but the deep-freezing that she had experienced, not to mention, the hours in which she had lay in a comatose state was beyond anything that she had ever experienced.

This recent development was something that frightened her. Her fingers had been blue, her body had locked in muscle cramps, and she had feared that she would die if she couldn't get warm enough. That thought had her thinking about the victim in her vision, and she briefly shut her eyes as she witnessed the brutality of her murder, the way she had begged for mercy from her assailant. Tears welled in her eyes, and she swallowed thickly, forcing them back down.

There was no use in crying. She had to help find justice for this poor woman. Sliding out of bed, she headed towards the bathroom, intent on heading down to the precinct to talk to her friend.

…

Officer Kuchiki looked up from her report at the sound of her phone ringing.

Perplexed, she looked down at her wristwatch, noting how late it was in the afternoon. She had been off-duty for an hour, choosing to stay and work on her report before heading home. She wasn't expecting any calls, nor did she get a lot of phone calls. Still frowning, she picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Officer Kuchiki? This is Mandy from reception. Just wanted to let you know that there is a woman by the name of Orihime Inoue asking for you."

Rukia's eyes widened, and she hastened to reply. "Yes, yes, please send her through." Rukia hung up and leaned back in her chair, her brow furrowing over why Orihime would be here to see her. She hadn't had a personal visit from Orihime since the time she had introduced herself to Rukia and presented her with the things from her "vision", as it was often easier for the both of them to communicate over the phone. She'd been cynical at first, how could a cop not be? But as she checked out and verified the things that she had described in detail, Rukia had to bow to the fact that there were some things in the world that just didn't have any logical explanation. Since busting the perpetrator responsible for a street mugging that Orihime had pointed out to her, Rukia had regularly followed the leads that she provided, figuring that it was saving on man power and resources. Besides, it wasn't a novel concept, working with psychics.

The first sight of her was enough to have Rukia rising to her feet. She looked tired, dark circles under her eyes, the skin on her face pulled taut under obvious strain. For once, she didn't have that constant small smile on her face, and it worried Rukia. They weren't exactly best friends, but over the years, Rukia had come to genuinely care for her, and concern flashed through her now. "Are you OK, Orihime?"

She gave a tired smile, "yes, I am OK. Can I take a seat?"

Rukia nodded, resuming her own. "Tell me what happened?"

She was quiet for a moment, her eyes downcast for a few seconds before lifting her gaze to Rukia; her eyes round with unspoken horror. "T-this isn't one of the usual visions."

"What do you mean?"

Orihime swallowed nervously. "I…I had a vision of a murder last night."

Rukia's eyes widened. "Murder?"

Orihime nodded wordlessly. An unpleasant feeling began to unfold in Rukia's stomach; this was far beyond her area of jurisdiction, far beyond the previous visions that she had been presented with that she wasn't exactly sure how to respond properly. She said the only thing that came to mind. "Tell me what happened."

She watched as the light faded from the brunette's eyes as she focused inward, a glaze covering them. Alarmed, she reached out her hand to touch her, but Orihime's sudden voice, steady and monotonous, eerie in its calm recitation froze her to the spot, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end.

"He's been watching her. Watching for a while now. Sweet Jolene, sweet Jolene, tonight, she was going to be his. He waits till that man leaves, the man that had been holding her captive all her life before breaking in a window at the back of the house, slipping in. He creeps through the house, his footsteps quiet. He wants to surprise her, wants to see the joyous look on her face when she sees him coming to save her.

"She's watching TV, some old film, and she looks so lovely. He can't help himself; he has to touch her smooth skin. She screams at that, her eyes open wide and he clamps his hand over her mouth, but she fights him, her scratches hurting him, and he quickly gets mad. Stupid bitch! Didn't she know he was here to help her?"

The cop in Rukia knew she had to get every single detail from her, knew that any small detail could help piece the puzzles together, but the woman in her wanted to stop Orihime, wanted to comfort her; if she felt this terrible listening to her after having served several years on the force, she could only imagine the hell Orihime was going through now, having envisioned it.

"He puts on a condom and takes her, infuriated with her struggles. Stupid bitch didn't deserve his sperm now. Not after hurting him when he tried to help her. She's quiet now and he's pleased. He pulls out the ritual knife he put in his boot earlier that evening, holding the blade in front of her so she could get a good look at it, so she could admire the instrument that would give her freedom. He places it on her soft cheek. Its time to set her free..."

Rukia jumped to her feet, coming around her small desk to grasp Orihime by the shoulders, giving her a little shake. "That's enough, I'm sorry, that's enough." It took several minutes, but she finally came out of her trance, her body trembling as she slumped tiredly against Rukia.

When she no longer needed Rukia's support, when she was able to sit up of her own accord, she looked questioningly at her. "What now?"

Rukia looked grim. "I'll have to check up on a few things, but I'll get back to you as soon as possible." She continued to watch her friend, the pallor of her skin a point of concern for her. She placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, rubbing it slightly.

"Are you going to be OK?"

Orihime turned wide eyes on her, devastatingly beautiful with the sheer determination that shone in them. "I have no choice but to be."

Rukia gave a small smile at that. Not once had she ever seen Orihime cave under the ugliness in which she envisioned, a trait that she had nothing but admiration for. "Come on, let me take you home."

...

"You're late getting home."

Rukia sighed tiredly as she closed the door behind her, making a bee-line towards her husband who sat reclined on his chair, newspaper in hand. She crawled into his lap, curling against his chest. "I need some help."

Byakuya's brow rose as his hand came up automatically to rest on the small of her back, drawing her closer. Rukia wasn't the type to ask for his help, preferring to use her own strength and skills, a trait that both annoyed him and endeared her to him. It was always with a sense of reluctance that she turned to him. He put down the paper, placing his hands on her legs, smoothing down the length of them to her feet, where he began to undo and take off her shoes. "I assume you need help from an official capacity?"

"Yes."

He managed to get one shoe off. "And what exactly is it that I can help you out with?"

"Are you familiar with the Jolene Mags case?"

"Rape and murder victim? Yes, Detectives Kurosaki and Hirako are working the case and have been updating me as they go along."

"What have they found?"

"The investigation is still ongoing. So far, there aren't any solid leads but they're going through her accounts, her phone records, speaking with the people she knew and worked with to see if they can find a link to her murder. Why do you ask?"

"I've...recently come across some information that may be of some benefit to the lead detectives."

Byakuya got the other shoe off before leaning back in the chair, cradling her closer. He asked quietly, "and how did you come by this information?"

"Through Orihime Inoue, the psychic that I told you about before."

He was quiet for a minute. "Rukia..."

"I know! I had trouble believing it, too, but this isn't the first time that I've worked with her, nor has she ever been wrong with her visions."

"Did the thought ever cross your mind that she may have been behind or at the very least involved with all these 'visions'?"

"That's not the type of person that she is. If you could see how much it takes out of her, these visions, then you wouldn't be quite so cynical. And my gut instinct says it's not her; she's always led us to the perpetrators, perpetrators that we couldn't draw any correction to her with."

He was silent as he mulled over her words before murmuring, "and what is it that you want me to do?"

"Is there a way I can convey these things that Orihime has told me to them?"

"You should know the problems with hearsay, Rukia. If she's a legitimate psychic, then she should have no problems explaining her vision to the detectives."

"But you don't know what it takes for her—"

"Rukia, there's nothing that can be done." The tone of his voice didn't leave room for any more rebuttals. "She is going to have to come in and speak to the detectives. They're going to want to question her, to gather their information first hand. There's no helping it, she needs to come in."

Rukia subsided, knowing that tone in Byakuya. She'd only ever heard it when she was being unreasonable or when he was chewing out the officers below his command, so she knew that there wasn't anything that she could do. His say was final. She thought of Orihime, of her going through the same ordeal that she had gone through with her earlier that evening, and she felt a pang of sadness. She bit her lip.

Byakuya gave a sigh as he saw Rukia withdraw. He wasn't about to let that happen, he wouldn't accept it, she of all people should never withdraw from him. He placed his fingers on her bottom lip, rubbing it, causing her to release it from the hold of her teeth. "Don't pout. I'll take care of things for your friend. I don't necessarily believe her, but I believe in you, so I'll have a quiet word with the detectives."

She smiled at that, grabbing at his fingers and holding them to her lips. "Thank you."

Byakuya gave a wry smile. "Don't thank me just yet. Hirako and Kurosaki still need to be dealt with, and I can assure you, they're not going to be all that forthcoming towards a psychic."

…

"Are you serious?"

Byakuya stood unfazed. "Yes."

"Lieutenant, with all due respect, we're still working the case. We're not at a dead end just yet."

"It has been more than 48 hours, Kurosaki, and you of all people should know that the chances of solving a crime lessens as that time continues to run out."

"But a psychic? What happened to good old police leg work."

Byakuya frowned. "From what I can see, that police leg work has led you nowhere. Now, I don't see what it would hurt to humour me in this and listen to what she has to say."

Ichigo and Shinji were quiet, seeing the right of his words. He did have a point, they didn't have any solid leads to follow, and since it was a strong suggestion from the Lieutenant, they couldn't exactly turn him down."

"We'll talk to her then," Ichigo growled.

Byakuya strode over to his office door, stepping outside for a few seconds before returning with two women in tow. Ichigo and Shinji both raised a brow at the appearance of Rukia Kuchiki, and the whole situation started to make a lot of sense. No wonder the Lieutenant had been most insistent; it must have been something that his officer wife had asked him for. Ichigo scowled before turning his gaze onto the other woman.

It was her fragility that struck him first. Though she had a calm expression on her face, he could see the strain around the eyes, the way her fingers clenched tightly together, the knuckles white, making him want to take her into his arms, to shield her from danger. It was this irrational feeling of protection for this woman that prompted his anger.

Shinji raised a brow at the narrowed look of his partner, nudging him but was subsequently ignored. He shrugged his shoulders and looked to their Lieutenant, who began. "All of you, please take a seat. Ms. Inoue, thank you for taking the time to come in on such short notice. I understand that you have some information pertaining to the Jolene Mags case that can be of some help to my detectives."

She gave a solemn nod. "Yes."

Shinji's mouth lifted sardonically. "Why don't you start at the beginning, Ms. Inoue?"

Orihime took a deep breath. She could feel the disdainful stares from the two detectives, most specifically from the orange-haired man, his face stark with contempt. She felt as if his hard gaze was boring into her, and she threw up her walls of defence, shutting out everything and focusing on the task at hand. Taking even, steady breaths, she calmed herself before launching into her recitation.

It was the same as it had been yesterday evening when she spoke with Rukia. Her monotonous tone sounding clearly in the room, the eerie stillness of her form as she sat transfixed in her seat. Four pairs of eyes were trained on her, analysing her words, weighing out the validity of them. Finally, silence fell, and Orihime sat stiffly in her chair, dragging in deep breaths of air as if she had been running.

The three men sat in shocked silence, the atmosphere thick with tension as they took in everything that they had just heard. It was Ichigo that broke the silence first. "And you think telling us this wouldn't make us suspect you? You've just actually bumped yourself to the top of the list."

"Ichigo—" Rukia began, but stopped as Byakuya raised his hand. It wasn't her place to speak, and she bit her lip as she silently fumed.

Shinji tried for tact. "Ms. Inoue, you've just described a few details that the public and the press are not privy to. The only way that you could know this is if you were present during the murder."

Orihime shook her head, her face paling. "N-no. I wasn't there. I told you, I was at home, watching TV, and all of a sudden, I had this vision."

"Was there anyone there with you that can vouch for your whereabouts?"

Orihime shook her head. Shinji didn't continue, but the look on his face plainly revealed the only likely conclusion that could be drawn from her answer. Her bottom lip trembled as she took in the circumstances. How could she prove that she hadn't been at the place? That she hadn't been involved in the murders? "I…I don't know what to say."

Ichigo muttered, "what, that magic ball doesn't have all the answers?"

She turned, meeting the hard gaze of the detective. "I don't have a magic ball. And that's not how my empathy works. I've already told you what I know, you can choose to believe me or not."

"That just it, we don't believe you."

"That's enough." Rukia spoke up again, rising to her feet, wrapping an arm around Orihime's shoulders and hoisting her up. "I didn't bring my friend here to be ridiculed by the two of you. She's here to help, not to become your number one suspect."

"Rukia," Ichigo growled. "Don't overstep your boundaries."

She tugged Orihime along, leading her to the door. She looked over her shoulder, her icy gaze, a trait of the Kuchiki family, encompassing the three gentlemen in the room. "Go to hell."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** see previous chapters

**Author's Notes:** Apologies for such a long wait for an update! I've been rather quite busy, but I didn't want to go another day without updating at least one of my fics, so it seems that this is the lucky one. Once my final semester is over and done with, I should have more time on my hands to peddle out some more updates, but as it is, I'll try to at least update one of my fics every few weeks.

Also, thanks for all the lovely reviews! Apologies if any part of this chapter seems rushed or underdeveloped. I just can't seem to write as of late, so I'm hoping this forced update will be the jump start that my muse needs to get back to my normal self. XD

…

She was beautiful.

He sat watching her carefully as she fiddled with her bag, casting furtive glances every so often at her wristwatch. Ashley Williams was indeed a very pleasant woman, well groomed and pretty, and like all his other clients, in a rather rocky marriage. He caught her eye and returned her nervous smile, wanting to put her at ease. "Would you like some refreshments, Mrs. Williams?"

"No, thank you. I must apologise for Chase, he's usually mindful of the time and I did remind him during his lunch break about our counselling session."

He waved a hand, "I'm fine with waiting. While I have you alone, would you mind if I asked you a few questions? It would help me assess the situation a bit more."

She bit her lip before nodding. "Yes, sure, what is it?"

"How would you describe your marriage now as compared to five years ago when you first got married?"

"Well, it's certainly has had a lot more downs recently then when we first met and got married. Chase's always has some sort of work-related excuse that he uses to get out of spending more time together. I just feel like we don't really communicate or get along together as well as we used to."

"And this has put a strain on your relationship?"

"Definitely. I try to be understanding, I don't work like he does so I can imagine he's under a lot of stress at work, though I can't help but wish for things to be different."

His eyes glinted at her last word. "Would you say that you wished to be freed from this situation?"

She was silent before answering, "you could say that."

He smiled at that, leaning over to pat her hand reassuringly. "Freedom can come at the most unexpected times."

…

Ichigo slammed the phone receiver down and muttered under his breath.

Shinji raised a brow at his partner's actions. "What's wrong?"

"Dead end." He sighed in frustration, raking his fingers through his hair. "It just doesn't make any sense. From what we've gathered, the Mag's were your average couple. They weren't hurting for cash as indicated by their bank statements, we have people left and right vouching for Jolene Mag's character, saying how they couldn't imagine her having any enemies or anyone holding any grudges against her. The only thing that could be slightly indicative of a potential motive is the talk of the couple's relationship going through some rocky times, yet the husband's got a rock solid alibi. And there doesn't seem to be any involvement of a hired hit man as well. So we keep coming back to that psychic."

"I gotta tell you Ichigo, I don't think she was involved at all."

"Is that your gut telling you that or something else?"

"Meaning?"

"You're a sucker for females, Shinji."

His partner scowled. "What's your problem? Ever since the appearance of Ms. Inoue, you've been in a foul mood. Do you really hate her that much?"

Ichigo returned the scowl, "don't be an idiot, of course I don't hate her. Its just that I find her story a bit too hard to swallow, especially with the inside knowledge that she has. There's something funny going on with her, and right now with no other leads to follow, she's starting to look better and better as a suspect."

"She really look like someone who could mutilate and rape a woman?"

"Not exactly, but she could be an accomplice, getting her kicks off by trying to play clairvoyant. Its been done before."

Shinji merely shook his head. "You know what your problem with her is? You care. You always get this way when you see someone weaker than you upset."

"What the hell?"

"You do. It happens with almost everyone you meet who are in need of protection. You can't help but want to protect them, no matter the cost to yourself."

Ichigo pushed away from his desk, running his fingers irritably through his hair. "I don't want to talk about it."

Shinji raised his brow as he noticed his partner grabbing his coat and slinging it over his shoulder. "Where are you going?"

"To do some more detective work."

…

Ichigo wasn't sure how he got there, but looking up, he found himself standing outside Orihime Inoue's apartment.

He scowled and shoved his hands in his pockets, wondering why his subconscious had brought him here. He had checked her public record earlier, noting her address and the fact that she lived a few blocks away from the precinct, not to mention the fact that her record was clean, with not even a single parking ticket, which had immediately gotten his suspicions up about her again.

He continued to stare at the moderate looking apartment, debating on whether he should knock on the door and see if he could talk to Orihime again. He didn't particularly want to, but the need to find justice for Jolene Mags far outweigh any discomfort on his part were he to give an informal interview. He scowled before approaching the household, giving a brisk knock on the door. The door opened wide several moments later to reveal a rather relaxed looking Orihime, a far cry from the withdrawn and tired looking woman who had sat in the interview room.

Ichigo gave a mental sigh of relief. He wouldn't have liked it if she still appeared to be high-strung, especially since his guilt from that day still played heavily on his mind. It wasn't in him to be rude to a woman; his female friends and colleagues, yeah, only because they knew how the guys played, but not to complete strangers, especially those who were already stressed out at having to come forward to the police. He cleared his throat as she greeted him with a smile. "Was just in the neighbourhood and wondered if I could stop by and ask you a few more questions?"

Her smiled waned a bit before she stepped back to let him in. Ushering him to her small living room, she offered him some refreshments before getting seated. "Have you found who murdered the woman yet?"

Ichigo gave a small shake of his head before answering, "we're still chasing a few leads."

She clenched her hands together, her knuckles turning white, a reaction that Ichigo didn't miss. Surprised at the regret he saw written on her face, he opened up with his first question. "This… talent that you possess. Have you always been able to see things?"

Orihime shook her head, a sad smile coming to her face. "My empathic abilities were awakened during the death of my brother. I had been at school, and out of nowhere, I could feel this exploding pain, and my brother calling out desperately for me. His voice had been so loud, as if he had been right there next to me, and I looked around the room to see if he was there, but he wasn't. Then, the image of him lying facedown in his blood flashed into my mind and I had screamed. I passed out and the next thing I knew, I was at the hospital, and the police were there, telling me that my brother had been hit by a car and had been dead when they arrived."

A haunted look entered her eyes, and Ichigo frowned as the instinctive urge to comfort her overwhelming him. He clamped down on the urge, remaining quiet as she took a deep breath and continued on with the story.

"Later, when I had to go and ID his body, the entire scene of his death played out in my mind. It was the first time I had ever seen death. It's not exactly an easy pill to swallow. I don't know how you do it. To see things like death, to be confronted by it often on a working basis."

Ichigo was silent a moment. "The first one is always the hardest. I still haven't gotten over the scene of my first homocide case several years ago. But, as gruesome as it is, it pushes you, motivates you to work harder at your job, to make someone pay for what's been taken away."

Orihime gave a small smile. "They're lucky to have you on their side. My brother would have loved talking to you."

"Did they ever find the driver responsible for the accident?"

She shook her head, her eyes downcast. "No, it was a hit and run. None of the bystanders had gotten a good look at the license plate"

"Must be hard, not having him around."

"I'm not mad at the driver. I'm just incredibly sad at such a life as my brother's being cut short. More than anything, I wish I had taken the time to tell him how much he meant to me." She took a deep shuddering breath and jolted with surprise when she realised Ichigo was holding her hand. His brown eyes were level as he stared at her, concern for her evident on his face. She gave a tight smile. "I'm OK. It's been almost 15 years, you'd think I would get over it by now, huh?"

He was silent as he continued to stare at her, before giving her hand a final squeeze and easing back. "My mother passed away more than 18 years ago. And the pain of losing her is still sharp in my mind. You don't ever forget the death of someone you love, not with ease."

She gave a nod, "no, you don't forget."

He changed the subject. "Tell me how you know Officer Kuchiki."

"You mean Rukia?"

"Yeah."

"I met her at rhe police station when I came to give information on a street mugging. She had been the officer on duty at the time, and while she hadn't believed me at first, had later come to accept my ability. I come to her every now and then when I have a vision that might be of some use to the police."

Ichigo grunted. "Sounds a bit unreal. Don't you ever get tired of these visions?

Orihime gave a weak smile. "Well, its not really like I have any say on the matter. It just happens. Sometimes it gets to the point where I can't be around people, or else I lose myself in their thoughts and feelings. But Mr. Don Kanonji is teaching me how to shield my mind."

Ichigo's eye twitched at the mention of the well-known town psychic. He muttered something under his breath, which prompted a small giggle from Orihime. His lips twitched at the sound. Minutes went by in relative peace as each were left to their own thoughts, before Ichigo cleared his throat and rose to his feet. "Here's my business card. If anything comes up, don't hesitate to call that number. And I don't mind whatever time you ring."

Orihime took the card and nodded, leading him to the front door. "You'll find the person who did this, right?"

Ichigo's smile was grim as he answered, "without a doubt."

…

He was careful not to slow down and draw any unwanted attention to himself.

He'd driven past the house several times now, hoping that any nosy neighbours that happened to be watching would mistake him for a lost traveller. But in any case, he swapped cars as an extra step of precaution.

From the street, the house was clean, modern and pretty, which reminded him of the occupant who lived inside. He smiled at that, enjoying the fact. There didn't seem to be any security system installed, and there seemed to be a high fence surrounding the back of the house, perfect for hiding from the neighbours.

He gave another smile. Surely, this was a sign that she wanted to be free.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** See previous chapters.

**Author's Notes:** Thank you so much for the lovely reviews. Apologies for being late with this update, had a few things on my plate that took me away from writing. Also, apologies if this chapter seems incomplete or something, I rushed to get this chapter out (sounds like déjà vu). As usual, thanks heaps to Eloni. I don't think I can ever write anything without your help. XD I hope you all enjoy this next chapter.

…

"Please say you have something good for us, Clogs."

Urahara Kisuke paused to look up at the two detectives, brushing his bangs away from his eyes as he peered through the microscope. "I always have something good for you. And its all considerably cheap, too, I just—"

"About the case, idiot," Ichigo interrupted rudely.

"Quite the impatient one today, aren't we sunshine?"

Shinji shook his head ruefully, holding his hand up. "Seriously though, all our leads have turned out to be dead-ends. We're hoping you can give us something to work with."

Urahara let out a heavy sigh, "I've gone over every single shred of evidence that you've given me and haven't found a single thing. No hair fibre, no partial prints, nothing. This isn't your average killer, he's careful and methodical, not leaving anything behind."

Ichigo and Shinji cursed aloud. Things weren't getting any better, especially not with the profile that they were starting to build on the killer. "Anything else we should know?" Shinji asked.

Urahara shook his head bleakly. "I took the time to examine the body as well. The stab wounds covering her body didn't seem to have any precision or reason to it. The number of stabs would suggest that he was in quite a frenzy when he mutilated her body."

The two detectives thanked him before heading back to their desks, slumping into their chairs. "There's gotta be something that we're missing here." Shinji mumbled as he leaned back in his chair, staring at the picture of Jolene mags stuck on their work board, and the connections with the people that they had previously suspected to be involved with her murder.

Ichigo went back to his notes, reading over the statements they had gathered over the past few days. "From what Kisuke's told us, we seem to be dealing with an unsub who has a love for mutilation but has enough sense to clean up after himself so that he doesn't leave any evidence behind. Forensics wiped that whole place clean so it's unlikely that we missed something."

Shinji picked up a pen, turning it over and over in his fingers. "This doesn't look good, Ichigo. The frenzy would suggest a mounting desire for violence. We could have a potential serial killer on our hands."

"It keeps coming back to the why. Was Jolene a random victim, or did her killer know her?"

Shinji shook his head, staring hard at her photograph. "I'm hoping we find that out soon."

…

She was getting ready for bed.

Her husband had gotten caught with overtime once again, and rather than making the one hour drive from the inner city decided to stay at a hotel, much to her disappointment. But she was a good wife, and she hadn't complained or ranted at him, just said that she had understood and would see him tomorrow evening.

Now, lying all alone in their big bed, she started to wonder if maybe she should have voiced some of her concerns. The counselor that she had spoken to, a nice gentleman he was, had seemed to think she should. Sighing to herself, she pushed all those negative thoughts out of her mind and started to make a mental list of the groceries she needed to buy tomorrow, only to be disrupted by a scratching sound from a nearby window. She sat up slowly, her head cocked towards the sound as she tried to pinpoint where exactly it was coming from.

Suddenly, a large shadow loomed in her darkened doorway. "I bring you freedom, my dear."

She screamed.

...

Orihime shot up in bed, sweat pouring down her body.

She could feel her senses becoming dimmer as the vision assaulted her again, and she tried desperately to push back as she fumbled for the phone by her bed, her fingers shakily pressing Ichigo's number. The phone rang twice before his voice filled the line. "Kurosaki."

"I-Ichigo... something's happening..."

"Orihime? What's going on? Are you OK?"

"It's happening again..."

Ichigo sat up, his curiosity piqued. "What's happening?"

She was silent on the other end, confusing Ichigo all the more. He called her name once, when her strained voice rustled through the silence. "He's killing her."

He swore under his breath as he shot out of bed, picking up his jeans off the floor and hastily pulling them on. "Stay with me, I'll be at your place soon. Orihime, can you hear me?"

There was silence over the phone, and no matter how many times Ichigo called her name, she didn't answer. He grabbed his keys and his weapon, choosing to make do without a shirt as he quickly shoved his feet into his sneakers and jumped into his car. He headed towards Orihime's apartment, going as fast as he could while hoping not to get pulled over. He was tense as he drove, contact with Orihime somewhat diminished by the fact that she wasn't answering him, no matter how many times he called out to her, fear curling unpleasantly in his stomach.

He wasn't sure what was going on, but the stark fear that he'd heard in her voice gave him a bad gut feeling about it. He arrived at her apartment in record time, jumping out of his vehicle and headed cautiously up the stairs towards her door, looking for any signs of breaking and entering. There was no sign of forced entry, and neither were there any signs on the neighbouring doors. The apartment curtains were drawn, the place still and quiet, and Ichigo's gut tightened painfully.

Something was not right.

Moving quickly, he shoved his body against the door, desperation giving him the strength of ten men as he slammed against it a few more times, the door finally giving way under the relentless assault. Drawing his gun, he surveyed the darkened interior, his eyes trained for any movement in the dark. From the little he remembered of the layout to her apartment, there were only two other rooms to check.

His senses couldn't detect a second person in the apartment, though he was quick to scout out the spare rooms, not finding a single person in the place or any signs of someone for that matter. He turned on the lights as he went, coming across Orihime room last, her figure sitting in bed illuminated by the light in the small hallway. He called her name, switching the lights on in her room, only to come to an abrupt halt at the sight of her, the hairs standing up on the back of his neck.

She was pale; deathly so, and so still that he wasn't exactly sure that she was breathing. Quickly holstering his gun, he moved towards her still body, calling out her name, taking her hands into his. The chill in her fingers shocked him, and he held them between his hands, rubbing furiously, trying to get the blood to circulate. He looked at her face, noting the serene expression that covered it as she sat motionless for long minutes. He felt her pulse, noting how erratic it was, not to mention the fact that her body didn't seem to be getting any warmer.

He hesitated for a bare second before stripping his pants and getting under the covers with Orihime, shucking off her nightgown and throwing it to the floor before wrapping his arms around her, his hands rubbing up and down her back in the bid to share his body heat with her. He kept calling out to her, but she remained silent, staying that way for awhile longer before her body started to shudder and jerk, her breath coming out in heavy pants, distressed sobs building in her throat. Ichigo gathered her closer to him, speaking softly to her as he rocked her back and forth, telling her over and over again that it would be all right.

She clung to him then, harsh sobs tearing from her throat as he comforted her, and his eyes were stark as he listened to her despair. He could do nothing but hold her through the tears, wondering what kinda hell she was going through. She quieted after awhile, the fatigue that overcame her visible. She struggled to keep her eyes open, her fingers moving to clutch at him desperately.

"You have to find her, you have to find her."

He wrapped his hand around her fingers, his brow furrowed. "Find who? What are you talking about?"

Her lips parted as she tried several times to speak. "He killed again."

She lost consciousness.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** see previous chapters

**Author's Notes:** Thank you so much for the lovely reviews, I really appreciate them all. Special thanks to **Eloni** for helping me out with this one. And sorry this update was long in coming. I hope that it's at least enjoyable. Happy Readings.

…

She was finally still, her skin warm and pink, her soft breaths wafting across his cheek.

He watched her closely, noting the delicacy of her features, the frailness of her bones, and he wondered how it was that she could bear going through first hand what he had just witnessed. He needed to think, needed to reassess the situation, and he disentangled himself from her soft body, a fact that he tried not to linger on too much, and slipped from the bed.

Ichigo paced her room as the hours passed, wondering for the umpteenth time that afternoon whether he should try and wake her or not. His blood had run cold when she had told him about the murderer killing again, but without any other information to go on, there really wasn't much he could do save having Shinji check with dispatch about any calls of a murdered woman coming through.

He leaned over the bed and checked Orihime's pulse again. He didn't quite understand what had happened last night; the image of her sitting so utterly still had freaked him out, reminding him of a statue. He couldn't ignore the fact that something had taken place, something horrible enough to cause such a heart wrenching reaction from her, but exactly what, he couldn't say. Was it possible for anyone to witness a murder without being at the scene of the crime?

Her pulse was slow and steady, reassuring Ichigo that she wasn't going to die on him any moment now, but her being asleep for over 12 hours without moving was still bothering him. Cursing silently, he grabbed his cell phone and dialed his father's number, not wanting to but having no choice in the matter. His father answered on the fourth ring, his annoyingly cheerful voice sounding through the line.

"Ichigooooooo. My young boy is finally calling his loving father who he treats badly by never calling on a usu-"

"Yeah, yeah, Dad. Listen, I need some help. A person of interest to the case I'm working has been sleeping for over 12 hours, not moving once at all during that time. She had a bit of a scare last night and I'm wondering if I should take her to see a doctor or something."

"A person of interest, huh? Were you that scare last night?"

Ichigo pulled the phone away from his ear to stare at it incredulously for a moment before yelling into it. "You dirty old man! I didn't do anything to her, I found her like that!"

"Ichigo, Ichigo, there comes a time in a man's life when he needs-"

"Would you shut up? I didn't do anything to her! I'm calling you because I'm concerned and need your help!"

"It's alright, Ichigo, its alright! I'm your loving father, I accept you the way you are!"

"If you don't shut up, I'm gonna hang up on you, moron!"

"Such cruel, cruel words. To your dear father who raised you and loved you-"

"I'm hanging up now."

"OK, OK. If her breathing is fine and her pulse steady, I would think that it's her body sleeping off the reaction from a trauma. Though maybe it'd be a good idea to wake her and check to see if she's feeling alright."

"Right, thanks."

"No problems. Don't forget that our family get together is coming up soon! Yuzu has been planning quite a lot for it!"

"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya. Later, Dad."

Ichigo shook his head as he placed his cell phone on Orihime's side table. Talking to his father certainly was draining. Taking his advice, he leaned over the bed again, grasping Orihime's shoulders and shaking her gently as he cajoled her to wake up repeatedly. After a few shakes, she started to come around, stretching languidly, pulling the thin bed sheet tight against her naked breasts. Ichigo stared wide-eyed at the shadowy peaks beneath the sheet before wrenching his gaze to her face, concentrating on it as he tried to cool his rising ardor. It was hardly the time to think of that, he scolded himself.

She came awake slowly, rubbing at her eyes tiredly as she opened her eyes a slit to look at her surroundings. The sight of a half naked Ichigo leaning over her in the bed had her shrieking loudly, sitting up quickly in bed, yanking at her covers and pulling them up to her neck. "I-Ichigo? What are you doing in here?"

He'd jerked back in the nick of time, avoiding a headbutt from Orihime's sudden movement. He gave a sheepish smile, his hand rubbing the back of his head. "I was making sure you were OK. You scared me quite a bit when you called me last night."

Orihime looked at him confusedly, glancing at her bedside alarm clock, the red glowing digits telling her that it was four in the afternoon. "Last night? Have I been asleep this whole time?"

Ichigo watched her for a minute. "Do you remember what happened last night?"

She sat for a moment, frowning in thought. With sudden clarity, the vision from last night played in her mind, and she shook at the images, a hand going up to cover her mouth at the rush of bile in her throat. Ichigo sat down on the bed, placing a concerned hand on her shoulder. "What do you see?"

"H-he killed her. S-someone should find her, she's just lying there, she's-"

He rubbed his hand along her shoulder, keeping his touch light, trying to ease her distress. He didn't want her to go into hysterics, not when he could get some valuable information as to the whereabouts of the body. "Shh, it's OK, calm down. Lets start from the beginning. Can you see any distinctive features of the house or the road that would help us locate her?"

She bit her lip, her gaze going inward as she shifted through the images of the vision. Her brow furrowed as she spoke. "Its dark. I can't really see anything. He parks a few blocks away and walks to her house."

"Can you see the houses? Is it a nice neighbourhood or is it run-down?"

"It's a nice neighbourhood."

"Good, that's a start. The house of the victim, do you notice anything distinctive?"

"Um, there's a…a huge tree oak in the front yard."

"Anything else?"

"N-no. Though he keeps thinking the word 'chase'."

"OK, focus in on the unsub now. Can you see what he's doing?"

"There's, ah, a tall wooden fence around the house and he goes straight for the side gate. He runs at the fence, his gloved hands reaching the top of the fence, and he manages to get a foot into the lattice design that covers the top part of the fence. He climbs over, and because he's dressed in black, no one notices him in the evening light."

"Then what happens?"

"He goes around the back, breaks in the window of the backdoor and opens it, entering the house. O-oh God, he's heading to the bedroom, and he has a knife. He tells her he's here to bring her freedom and… and she screams. She fights him but he's too strong and he… he—"

"Its OK," Ichigo assured her, silencing her as he drew her into his embrace, awkwardly patting her back. "Don't think about it anymore, we'll find her."

When she calmed, Ichigo gently pulled away, reaching for his phone, calling Shinji to update him on the new information that he'd received. Orihime pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around her legs under the covers, watching Ichigo as he spoke to his partner. She could tell from the frown that crossed his face that the information she had given them wasn't helping them much in their investigation.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out when Ichigo ended his call. "I haven't been much help to you so far."

"Considering how much luck we've had in this case already, you've been a lot of help already."

"But you still need something more substantial to go on, right?"

Ichigo shrugged, "Don't stress about it. You've given us a few avenues to search so we're not at a complete loss."

"So what now?"

Ichigo stood up, moving to where his shoes still lay at the threshold. "I gotta head back to the precinct and go over these new facts with Shinji, chase down these leads you've given us and hopefully find this woman. Are you going to be OK?"

Orihime blushed, clutching the sheet tighter to her body. "Yes. And thank you for coming over. I don't know why I called you, it was so rude of me to do so and—"

"Its OK," Ichigo interrupted, giving her a small smile. "I'm glad I could be here to help, it's never good to do things alone. Call me whenever you get any visions."

She smiled at that. "I will."

…

"While you were out playing hooky with Orihime, I think I've come across something interesting."

Ichigo scowled in his partner's direction, adjusting his tie, having put on the spare shirt and tie he always left in his locker. "For your information, the woman was distressed and needed my help."

"Mmhmm. Well, regardless, I thought the 'chase' info that Orihime gave us was interesting, so I looked up both street names and first and last names of people within the area, since we would expect a serial killer to work within range of his last kill, and managed to find sixteen males and females with the name Chase and one street name."

"That's still a lot of ground to cover. We can't exactly go knocking on every single door. Is there a way we could narrow our search down?"

"Well, we could probably cross out a few names by looking at the bank details. Orihime said that it was a nice neighbourhood, and if the unsub sticks with victims that fit Jolene Mags' profile, then they would be well-off."

"OK. Lets check in with Ishida, see what four-eyes can find for us."

The two men headed through the bullpen towards the computer techs, finding Ishida typing furiously away at his computer. Ichigo cleared his throat, drawing his attention. "Need your help."

Ishida pushed his glasses up. "It will cost you. I don't do free work for anyone, especially not you, Kurosaki."

Ichigo scowled before placing the list of names down on his desk. "Fine, whatever. We need bank statements of all the people on this list."

Ishida looked at the list thoughtfully before his fingers flew across the keyboard, several windows opening with various figures displayed across them. Moments later, Ishida was printing out the statements, handing it to them before turning back to his computer, rudely dismissing them. Ichigo and Shinji rolled their eyes before heading back to their desks, going through the papers.

"So we can cross out six names from the list, though that still leaves us with eight names, not including the people living on Chase Street."

Ichigo frowned. "I guess we could split the names and do background checks for priors and the likes."

Shinji nodded. "OK, how about I take the top half and you—"

The shrill ring of his desk phone interrupted his speech, and he quickly answered the phone, listening to the other side before hanging the phone up, swearing under his breath.

"Its been called in. They've found her."


End file.
